Upamecano reveals that he dreams of playing for Manchester United

In an interview with Telefoot, RB Leipzig central defender Dayot Upamecano has revealed he dreams of playing for Manchester United, Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Manchester United were very close to signing Upamecano back in 2015 but the deal didn’t materialise, with the player instead of opting to join RB Salzburg before moving to RB Leipzig in January 2017.

Reports from France claim that the Red Devils are still keen on the 19-year-old, whose outstanding performances for Leipzig have earned a lot of plaudits.

Now that Upamecano has spoken about his desire, it rather looks clear that he would love to join a bigger club in the near future.

“As a youngster, you dream of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, but to get there, you have to work,” Upamecano told in an interview with Telefoot.

“I’m very proud of myself, very happy. I have to keep going in the same direction. I have to aim higher. My preference for the moment is Leipzig. Afterwards, we’ll see.”

As per Telefoot, Leipzig have set the defender’s release clause at €100million, which is ten times bigger than what they paid to Salzburg for the teenager’s signature in January 2017.

The 19-year-old centre-back has two France under-21 appearances to his name but is yet to feature at the senior level.

“All the great players play for their national teams,” he added. “I would also like to be called up one day. I know I’m on the right track, so I have to keep going like this.”

Upamecano is strong, powerful, commanding in the air and can bully most strikers off the ball. He is very good at tackling. He cannot be termed as a no-nonsense defender but is comfortable playing out from the back.

The 19-year-old Frenchman has the agility and speed that the modern centre-backs love to possess. In fact, he has a pleasant style of play and can even slot as a defensive midfielder if needed. Upamecano is one of the most exciting talents at Leipzig and is on the right path towards success.